APTA rewards Caltrain sustainability
Written by Railway Age Staff
Rendering of Caltrain electric multiple unit (EMU). Photo: Caltrain
Greening efforts by a California rail agency and bus operator have been noticed by a major transit advocacy group.
The American Public Transportation Association recognized SamTrans and Caltrain with Silver-Level status in the APTA Sustainability Commitment Program.
Bus operator SamTrans and Caltrain, both signatories to the program, have pledged to implement processes and actions that create continuous improvements in environmental, social and economic sustainability.
“It is incumbent on all of us to do more to protect our environment,” said Joint Powers Board Chair Jeannie Bruins. “Caltrain is proud of its role in getting cars off the road and reducing our carbon footprint, and we thank APTA for recognizing our efforts.”
As part of its sustainability program, Caltrain has the most extensive bicycle access program among passenger railroads in the United States, accommodating approximately 6,000 bicyclists every weekday. In 2017, Caltrain committed to a new bicycle parking management plan to increase use of wayside bike parking facilities.
Since the summer of 2017, Caltrain’s electricity has been 65% renewable and 79% greenhouse gas (GHG)-free through participation in local Community Choice Energy programs. Through this effort, Caltrain will reduce its carbon footprint from electricity use by about 20%, which is equivalent to the annual carbon emissions of 150 automobiles.
Caltrain prepared its first-ever Sustainability Report in 2017. In fiscal 2016, the average Caltrain passenger helped eliminate 3.2 pounds of GHG emissions with each train trip. In response to California’s historic drought, Caltrain implemented a number of water-saving conservation measures, and decreased water consumption by more than one-third between FY 2014 and FY 2016.
When the Peninsula Corridor Electrification Project (PCEP) is complete, Caltrain’s GHG emissions and criteria air pollutants will dramatically decrease.
SamTrans, which provides bus service throughout San Mateo County and into portions of San Francisco and Palo Alto, recently approved the purchase of 10 battery-powered electric buses, which will replace some of its oldest diesel vehicles. These new buses, along with the 25 hybrid buses already in service, are part of SamTrans’ effort to reduce its fleet emissions. SamTrans is working on a long-term plan to fully electrify the bus fleet by 2032, ahead of the California Air Resources Board’s state-wide goal of transforming all transit fleets to zero-emission bus technology by 2040.
